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France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

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Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#131

Post by teekert »

ghaff wrote: post #65
teekert wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I consider myself a Power User, use of Windows is not friction free :) Over the years I've come to believe that there is only one thing important: What you are used to. The friction is in the change process. Not in the destination. As an independent, I have several customers on MS365, you know what my super power is? FireFox cookie containers. One for each org, and I switch with 0 effort between the orgs. No need for…

>What you are used to. Absolutely. I've given using a tablet (with keyboard) as an alternative to a laptop when traveling and it sort of frustrates me for a lot of things. But talking to people I know who have largely switched over, my conclusion is that, in general, I probably mostly just haven't put the effort and commitment to make it worth it for me. And I'm not sure, not spending nearly as much time on planes as…

As part of the human species, which has conquered our planet's poles, its deserts and its jungles, I believe we are in a unique position to adapt to many -if not most- circumstances thrown our way, and flourish.

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#132

Post by gib444 »

Efforts like this are good for people to realise there is a lot of talent in Europe that just gets overshadowed by USA's dominance.

USAians tend think everything is less popular in Europe simply because it is inferior and fails purely on its technical merits. I know nothing will ever change their minds, but at least non-European non-USAians might recognise the efforts a bit more.

We are also willing to accept 'good but not perfect' and understand tradeoffs.

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#133

Post by chocochunks »

kombine wrote: post #121
polski-g wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes sense that everyone uses Windows for gaming, because you can't run games in your browser. It makes zero sense for businesses to use Windows if they're only doing PowerPoint and video conferences.

Actually, it's the exact opposite. There is really no alternative to PowerPoint on Linux, unfortunately. I'm saying this as someone who's used Linux for 20 years now.

Huh? There's a ton of PowerPoint alternatives that work on Linux. LibreOffice, OnlyOffice, Collabora Office, Calligra Stage, Google Slides, the online version of PowerPoint, more techy things like LaTeX Beamer or Reveal.js. Maybe these don't have perfect PowerPoint compatibility, or some niche PowerPoint feature you need but there's plenty of slide deck making options that work on Linux.

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#135

Post by usrusr »

klabb3 wrote: post #93
polski-g wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes sense that everyone uses Windows for gaming, because you can't run games in your browser. It makes zero sense for businesses to use Windows if they're only doing PowerPoint and video conferences.

1. total abandonment of desktop as a platform, and the massive hurdles to distribute desktop software 2. move to Cloud and use electron wrappers because not even MS can bother making native apps on their shitty platform 3. Make Windows so shit that even hardcore power users can’t debloat it. The moat of Windows is gone. Games, office work, all the classic arguments, have basically vanished in the last 5-10 years. The…

4. putting Mac users in charge of the UI who are genuinely incapable of understanding how they are breaking continuity.

That's like staffing a neurosurgery department with dentists. Or a dental clinic with neurosurgeons, it does not matter, you can have decades of experience working with a drill in the head area and still be the wrong person for the job.

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#137

Post by jrgd »

kombine wrote: post #121
polski-g wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It makes sense that everyone uses Windows for gaming, because you can't run games in your browser. It makes zero sense for businesses to use Windows if they're only doing PowerPoint and video conferences.

Actually, it's the exact opposite. There is really no alternative to PowerPoint on Linux, unfortunately. I'm saying this as someone who's used Linux for 20 years now.

Probably just a matter of time, it’s possible the friction will create opportunities. Something in the spirit of iaPresenter, md first would be awesome.

At the moment i have long html page with key event for next and previous, tiny script to check on specif markup for autoscroll.

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#138

Post by drooopy »

polski-g wrote: post #57
esskay wrote: post #12

Yeah good on them, everyone needs to do this. It's nuts Windows is still the go-to for anything these days despite everyone knowing what a parasitic, buggy mess it is. "Easy" shouldn't be the excuse in this day and age. Big orgs and especially government entities should be hiring the people that know what they're doing and get off that crummy platform.

It makes sense that everyone uses Windows for gaming, because you can't run games in your browser. It makes zero sense for businesses to use Windows if they're only doing PowerPoint and video conferences.

My Linux computer now is my main gaming machine. I purged my Windows partition a couple of years ago and haven't had the need to look back yet.

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#139

Post by ngomez »

Interestingly, Microsoft has been trying to get ahead of this for a couple of years now with their National Partner Clouds program [0], which they describe as:

> designed for scenarios where full ownership and operational independence from Microsoft is required

In France's case, Capgemini and Orange have a joint venture to operate datacenters that Microsoft runs Azure and Office on top of [1]. Moving away from Windows and Teams would still reduce their dependence on Microsoft substantially. But if the core goal is to reduce dependence on non-European suppliers, I would be wary of the French government buying services from "Bleu" when it's mainly Microsoft and a couple of consultancies in a trenchcoat.

[0] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sovereign-clou...

[1] https://www.capgemini.com/news/press-releases/capgemini-and-...

Re: France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

#140

Post by einr »

DrBazza wrote: post #91
carlosjobim wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like last time, I ask again: Which are the European made computers?

Which are the US made computers? Start by excluding all the ones with Korean LCD panels, and Taiwanese motherboards, and Chinese parts. If you mean assembled then there are lots of very small European companies that make custom build PCs. Economies of scale in the US, a single language, and cheap transport, mean that the US companies grow very big internally, very easily. And then go international without much effort…

The same is not true in Europe, so there's not a huge Dell, HP, or IBM equivalent.

In the 90s and up until the early 00s we used to have quite a few pretty serious contenders, but they are all dead now: ICL, Siemens-Nixdorf, Tulip, Bull, Olivetti, etc.

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